Watch Anderson Cooper Ruin AZ Sen. Melvin Over Religious Freedom Bill

The king of silver foxes took on Arizona State Senator Al Melvin on the south-western state’s controversial new religious freedom law which would allow businesses to deny services to LGBT people because of personal beliefs.

It’s kind of hard to watch as Sen. Melvin doge many of Coopers questions. The usual excuses are given “this law is pre-emptive,” “this is not a discrimination bill… we want to protect religious freedom.”

Have a look at the video below, and realize how surprising it is that this kind of legislation hasn’t come up in VA.

Cooper does a good job at expanding the lengths this bill could go to – including businesses denying services to divorced people or unwed mothers (both subjects Jesus spoke out against.)

Senator Melvin continues to stumble. Finally, he gives up and claims the “pillars of society are under attack – churches, boy scouts, marriage…”

The interview hits a kind of peak when Melvin states that there is zero discrimination across all classes/genders/races/sexual orientations, in Arizona, and he even invites Cooper to come live there after the host says “I know people here in New York that discriminate.”

Have a look at the video below, but be sure to watch part two where Cooper asks the senator if firing someone for being LGBT even counts as discrimination. (spoiler alert, he doesn’t answer the question) :